Pretense
by Pittsy
Summary: Set 10 years after they've left Hogwarts. Why have Harry Ron fallen out? Harry has a new best friend in Ginny. Why does Harry go from one meaningless relationship to the next? Is there something more to their friendship?
1. Life As We Know It

PRETENSE  
  
  
CHAPTER 1: Life As We Know It  
  
Harry was on a mission. A mission of utmost importance.   
His job was to obtain 'the package' as quickly as possible. It was a   
matter of life and death. His death. The only way to guarantee his   
survival was to follow orders quickly and efficiently.   
  
"Hey! Where's my ice cream?"  
  
Harry sighed. She was so impatient. She was always   
wanting everything here, now. He was surprised her last   
boyfriend had survived this long. Three months can be a long   
time.  
  
"Hold on. Give me a chance, eh?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I happen to need ice cream. Now. And it better   
be triple chocolate fudge ice cream." She yelled to him from the   
lounge, heatedly.  
  
Harry paused in the doorway and watched as the beautiful   
young heartbreaker flicked through the channels on the television.   
He smiled to himself as he realised that the woman sprawled   
across the sofa was the same previously shy girl who had idolised   
him in their younger years learning magic. She was the same   
quiet, reserved girl he had known throughout his time at   
Hogwart's School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But she wasn't the   
same. She was so much more.  
  
Instead of the girl he knew so vaguely, now sat on the couch   
was the woman he had come to count on as his best friend. The   
bright, funny, vivacious woman. She was full of life and exuded   
an energy that radiated from every fibre of her being.  
  
He stood there for a moment pondering this when she   
noticed him staring and frowned at him. "What is it, Harry?   
You're stood there with that strange little smirk of yours. What's   
so funny? Have I got popcorn in my hair or something?"  
  
Harry snapped out of his reverie, dropped onto the sofa   
with a thud and handed over the ice cream. "No popcorn. Your   
hair is fine," He cast her a sidelong glance as she pattered down   
her hair. "Well, as fine as your hair can get." A woeful look crossed   
her face, but when she noticed his teasing grin she elbowed him   
sharply in the ribs.  
  
"Why, you little…! And you call yourself a friend!"  
  
"Ah, shut up and eat that ice cream."  
  
Harry watched her as she tasted the ice cream cautiously. As   
she took it into her mouth her eyes immediately closed and an   
expression of pure bliss spread across her face.  
  
He sat mystified at how such a simple thing like ice cream   
could cause such euphoria. "I don't understand."  
  
A look of disdain crossed her face as she opened her eyes   
mockingly. "Oh, Harry. This is hardly the time and place for me to   
give you that birds-and-the-bees talk."  
  
"Shut up. What I meant was, why does ice cream give you   
so much pleasure? It's only ice cream after all." Harry watched her   
carefully as she considered his question.  
  
"Well… Ice cream is not just a cold and astonishingly mind-  
blowingly gorgeous dessert but a state of mind. You see, ice cream   
equals luxury and luxury leads to relaxation. You grasp?"  
  
"Erm… I suppose so…" Harry was utterly confused but   
continued to nod as she went on to list all the virtues of ice cream   
which included how it can lead to the solution to global warming   
and world peace.  
  
She was always like this. Ask a simple question and BOOM!   
You get a three hour lecture on how women are the greater sex.   
However, he could never help but being totally enthralled as she   
animatedly discussed the issues of life and -as the case may be- ice   
cream. She was always so passionate when she talked about   
something she loved. She was just like her brother.  
  
  
  
Ginny knew that Harry had no idea what she was rambling   
on about. She didn't mind. No one ever did. But the difference   
was that Harry at least pretended to be interested. Sometimes she   
got the strange sensation that Harry wasn't listening to her words   
but looking into her soul, into her very being. Ginny knew that he   
could see the person she had become. She frequently saw the   
admiration shining in his eyes… Anyway, he should respect her,   
having to put up with him. Harry Potter, the boy- no, the man-   
who lived. The most famous man in the entire wizarding world.   
The man who, despite all his pain and suffering, had become the   
international symbol of adoration. Do the magic community   
realise how all the attention can go to a man's head?  
  
But despite this Ginny knew the real Harry Potter. No she   
had not read one of those 'Inside The Mind Of The Boy Who   
Lived- The Real Harry Potter' books by famous wizarding   
biographer Flossy Flumpworth. But she knew Harry. She didn't   
need a book to tell her everything about him. She already knew   
everything about him. She knew he hated peas, she knew how his   
worst fear was fear itself and she knew how he felt responsible for   
her. He needn't be. She'd already got six brothers. The last thing   
that she wanted was another one.  
  
A sudden thought hit Ginny, making her stop talking and   
stare in horror at Harry. "Crap!" She grasped his arm tightly   
digging her nails into his skin. "Do not tell me that today is the   
twenty- second." She looked at him with pleading dark chocolate   
eyes the size of moons.  
  
"Er… Yeah, it is, I think," Seeing the distraught look on her   
face he added. "Sorry."  
  
She jumped up and raced around the small but comfortable   
room, occasionally pausing to ferret around in a drawer.  
  
"What is it? Just realised you've got a hot date?" Harry   
grinned. "Oh, I know who it is- Colin Creevy? Didn't you have a   
thing going with him at one point? And you did bump into him   
the other day. What happened? Did he dazzle you with his…   
Wits?"  
  
Ginny paused to pull on her pumps and cast Harry a look   
full of outrage. "Colin Creevy? Well I did find that stupid camera   
kinda cool at one point but now I realise how so damn annoying   
that click clicking was all the time. Can you imagine that? All the   
time," Ginny dashed into the bedroom to fix her makeup and   
shouted through the doorway. "Anyway, there is no hot date. It's   
Dad's birthday so we're all having a meal together, for a change.   
Time?" She demanded.  
  
"Seven forty-five."  
  
"My God! I'm late!" Harry sat, bemused at Ginny's panic,   
watching her dash around the room. She suddenly stopped in   
front of him. "How do I look?"  
  
"Er… I'd lose the snot rag on the head and you'll look fine."  
  
"What? Jesus Christ!"  
  
Ginny raced into her bedroom, shut the door and within   
thirty seconds was out again, looking a different woman. Instead   
of the loose fitting sweatshirt and leggings she now wore a knee   
length black dress that skimmed her slender frame and flared out   
near the hem.  
  
"You like?" She twirled in front of him waiting for his   
opinion.   
  
"Yeah, Gin. I really like the way the dress, er… goes funny   
around the edges." Harry coughed and squirmed uncomfortably.   
He hated it when women asked how they looked. It didn't matter   
what answer you gave them you were always wrong. Fortunately,   
Ginny was in too much of a rush to pay attention.  
  
"Right then. Come on, Harry. Clear out."  
  
"What? You didn't even feed me!"  
  
"Harry, go. I have to go via floo powder and I don't want   
you hanging out here and messing my kitchen up like you did last   
time. You've got a home, a very lovely home to be exact, so why   
do you insist on coming to my extremely dingy flat at every   
available moment?" Ginny ushered Harry towards the front door,   
grabbed her bag and attempted to locate the floo powder.  
  
"Yes, but, usually you feed me!" Harry exclaimed, following   
her back into the living room. She then slowed her steps, ignoring   
him, when something niggled at her from the back of her mind. "I   
have this strange feeling that I've forgotten something…"  
  
The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks when she noticed   
the empty dish on her polished antique table which was normally   
where Ginny's supply of floo powder lived.  
  
"Hey, you know I did bring my own popcorn so why can't I   
just… What is it, Gin?" Harry stared at the empty dish in   
confusion.  
  
Ginny just stood still in disbelief at her own forgetfulness. "I   
forgot to pick up more from Diagon Alley when I went this   
afternoon and I haven't got my apparating licence yet. What am I   
going to do, Harry?"  
  
She gazed up at him with that look that she knew got him   
every time. Her bottom lip trembled and her dusky eyes watered   
up in such desperation that he had no choice but to give in.  
  
"Okay. I'll take you. But I'm not coming in."  
  
Ginny's face broke out into an illuminous smile that shone   
with a hundred times the wattage of the street lamps and lit up   
the whole road as well as Harry's heart.  
  
She threw her arms around him. "Harry, you're my hero!"   
She pulled away to look at him with a frown. "But you have to   
come in. They haven't seen you in ages."  
  
Seeing the expression on Harry's face Ginny realised how   
determined he was. And there was no budging him when he had   
made up his mind. He had a will of iron that was sometimes his   
downfall. "Okay, okay. You don't have to come in. I don't see   
what all the fuss is about, anyway."  
  
"Stop it or I won't take you. Now lock up and we'll go."  
  
"What? I don't understand. I just need you to apparate me   
there."  
  
"No way, mon amie. If we do this, we do this in style."  
  
"Oh no, Harry! Not that thing you call a 'mean machine'…"  
  
"Shut up and get in the car or I'll change my mind." Harry   
warned Ginny as he walked to his car.  
  
  
  
*****************  
  
  
"You are so rude!" Hermione rounded on Ron as she burst   
into the room. The walls were chipped where orange remnants   
still could be seen as a reminder of the days when life was simpler.   
It had all been about friends and Quidditch. For the love of the   
game. Now life was a hell of a lot more complicated. "Why do you   
do this all the time? I don't even know how you have any friends   
at all."  
  
Ron blinked at her, pondering how to proceed without being   
turned to stone by the famous death stare. Never mind the   
Basilisk's deadly gaze, Hermione's glower was ten times as lethal.   
Ron decided to stick with the good old innocent 'huh?' That   
always worked. Didn't it?  
  
"'Huh'? Is that it? Is that all you've got to say for yourself?"   
She backed him into the corner of his old bedroom. "You were   
disrespectful, contemptuous, impolite, rude, disrespectful-"  
  
"You already said that one…" There it was. The death stare.  
  
"-And generally acted like the mardy little boy you still are.   
You are twenty-six years old. Don't you think it's time you grew   
up and acted at least slightly responsibly? Now, what do you have   
to say for yourself?" Hermione folded her arms and watched him   
expectantly.  
  
Ron thought for a second. He grinned. "You look beautiful   
when you're angry." Her frown deepened but he thought that he   
could detect a slight blush in her cheeks.  
  
Her face hardened as she realised that he had nearly won   
her over. "Ron. Just tell me straight. What is your problem with   
Harry?"  
  
"Harry." Ron's smile faded into a grimace. "So that's who   
this is about. What do you want me to say about the   
cradlesnatcher?"   
  
"Ron, Ginny is only a year younger than us, remember.   
Anyway, there is nothing between them. There never has been.   
Well, I know that Ginny once had a crush on him, but that was   
over ten years ago and they're passed that now. Why did you   
have to ignore him? Did you see the look on his face? I'm sure he   
misses you." Hermione sat him down on his bed and talked in   
soothing tones, hoping to make him open up to her.   
  
"Yeah, sure. Did you see the way he looked at her? He's just   
a pervert, lusting after girls like that. I mean, it's disgusting!" Ron   
jumped off the bed and began pacing the room.  
  
Hermione sighed. "Ron, I really don't think it's like that with   
them."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. But you didn't see him kiss her on the cheek   
did you? I'm sure he was trying to cop a feel!"  
  
She slowly raised herself from the bed and headed towards   
the door. "I've had enough of this, Ron."  
  
"But… But, you must have seen… It's just so obvious!" He   
shouted after her. "You don't understand! I heard him! I heard   
him say he was in love with her!"  
  
He could hear Hermione's footsteps come to a halt at the top   
of the staircase. A few seconds later her head popped around the   
open door.   
  
"Ron, stop talking out of your arse." With that she strode   
downstairs, away from an astonished Ron.  
  
Little did Hermione know that Ron was telling the truth. 


	2. Point of No Return

Disclaimer: Sorry, I forgot to do this the first time: I do not own   
Harry Potter. I wish I did since I'd be a billionaire but   
unfortunately that privilege goes to JK Rowling and the big wigs   
at WB.  
  
( A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! This is my first fic so if I   
lose the plot a bit bear with me and if you have any advice let me   
know. This is dedicated to my friend Leila who is under the   
author name Shinzoangel. I introduced her to fan fic and now I   
feel like Frankenstein. It's also dedicated to our pal Rosa who   
liked my story even though she is naturally disapproving.. This   
is for you, Rosa: WYLD STALLYNS RULE!!!!! )  
  
  
PREVIOUSLY:  
  
"You don't understand! I heard him! I heard him say he was   
in love with her!"  
  
He could hear Hermione's footsteps come to a halt at the top   
of the staircase. A few seconds later, her head popped around the   
open door.  
  
"Ron, stop talking out of your arse." With that she strode   
downstairs away from an astonished Ron.  
  
Little did Hermione know that Ron was telling the truth.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 2:  
  
"Are you trying to break up with me?" The high pitched   
shriek of Cho Chang rang out and echoed throughout the flat. Ron   
winced as the sound made his teeth ache.  
  
"Er." Ron grinned as he listened to the familiar voice   
stumble over his words. Harry was obviously in the midst of a   
spat with his latest beau and had decided to cut his losses. "Look,   
I'm sorry, Cho, but this has got to stop. You don't want to be with   
me-"  
  
Ron could imagine the undeterable expression on her face as   
Cho interrupted. "Yes, I do! I do! Harry I've always loved you!"   
Ron inwardly sighed. Harry was right. Cho was only potty about   
the idea of being with Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, not Harry   
Potter the human being.  
  
"-And I don't want to be with you either." This was news to   
Ron. For the past five years since they had left Hogwarts Ron   
knew that Harry had still harboured hopes of being with Cho but   
now when he had had the opportunity to be with her he drew   
back. God. Harry confused the Hell out of him. Any way, for the   
past four weeks ever since he'd bumped into the lovely Miss   
Chang at the supermarket he'd had the goofy grin plastered on his   
face of a guy who was in 'lurve'.  
  
"But you do want to be with me! I know, I can tell. You've   
wanted me for more than five years!" Cho's enraged voice   
suddenly softened and she sounded like an angel, a song in her   
voice. "Come on, Harry. Remember he hot tub? Remember the ice   
skating rink? There were so many good times!" Cho's voice   
gradually grew more desperate.  
  
"You're not going to change my mind."  
  
Cho let out a very unladylike growl that Ron thought was   
fitting for the predator she had become. "I should have known   
that you'd just string me along! You made me think that you had   
been pining for me. I thought I was safe! You dumped all the   
others but I thought. I thought." Ron actually felt quite sorry   
for Cho. She had the disillusioned idea that she could charm and   
keep the legendary Harry Potter under her spell which would be a   
major career move for the wannabe Hollywood darling. Ron   
sniggered under his breath at the thought . Harry would never   
settle down. He was just too damn defiant. He would never let   
himself be controlled and when someone like Cho attempted it, he   
erased them from his life. Hence the letting go of Cho Chang.  
  
At least that was what Ron had thought.  
  
Cho's voice took on a steely tone. "I should have known that   
you would do this, Potter. You've got some nerve treating me like   
rubbish!" Ron could imagine the sneer on her normally pretty   
face. "Got fed up with your latest conquest, eh? Am I not good   
enough for the noble and brave Harry Potter?" Cho's icy remarks   
were laced with deep sarcasm.  
  
"My God!" Harry muttered to himself. "If someone heard all   
this they'd think I was a monster!" Ron felt guilty . But it wasn't   
really eavesdropping. Ron had vacated the living area to give   
Harry and Cho some privacy and as the walls of the small and   
damp flat were somewhat thin he could hear every word from his   
bedroom. Of course, it helped that his ear was pressed against the   
door in the hopes of catching part of the conversation.   
  
Cho's voice dropped. "Is it because of her?" Ron frowned.   
Who? He had just been about to leave them to argue it out when   
he heard the mention of another woman. His curiosity got the   
better of him and his ear, once again, was glued to the door. They   
could be referring to his former girlfriend, Tierney, but she'd been   
out of the picture for almost two months now, Ron thought as his   
ear strained to hear the response, and Harry was usually inclined   
to keep the motto 'Out of sight, out of mind'. That was why his   
previous two relationships hadn't lasted.  
  
But Harry kept silent.  
  
"It is!" Cho was incredulous. "It is because of that little bitch!   
You've been seeing her behind my back haven't you?! Oh, I bet   
she's ecstatic. She's always had a thing for you and now she gets   
her man." Cho's voice took on a menacing tone. " Well   
congratulate the little slut. Tell me, Is it just a little fling or is it true   
love?? "  
  
"Shut up!" Harry yelled so loud that the walls shook with   
the force of it. "How dare you talk about her like that?" His voice   
had taken on a deadly whisper which made Ron strain to hear.   
"She is ten times the woman you are or will ever be. She doesn't  
know anything about this and she doesn't have to. She doesn't   
love me and I don't want to lose her because of that." Ron was   
really confused now.  
  
Cho's voice softened. "You are in love with that girl, aren't   
you?" Footsteps headed towards the front door and paused.   
"Don't worry, I won't tell her." As if on second thought Cho   
added "I don't know why I never noticed it before. You always   
were a sucker for a Weasley."   
  
The front door slammed shut just as Ron's bedroom door   
flew open and the two best friends stared at each other in horror.  
  
After that things were never the same.  
  
  
***************************************************  
  
  
The night hummed with the sounds of a long forgotten   
laughter from a foregone time. A happier time when it felt as   
though nothing could ever disrupt this harmonious family.  
  
At the far end of the table Charlie entertained his father with   
stories of his escapades in a foreign land, but being sure to leave   
out the really heart attack evoking bits.  
  
Percy listed the perks of being Chief Executive Officer Of   
Pewter Cauldrons Ltd to his very impressed and very proud   
mother. He was oblivious to the little smiles of anticipation and   
mischief that passed between the twins as they feigned rapt   
attention. "And, also available to only the most invaluable   
members of staff at Pewter Cauldrons Ltd, is the extensive files of   
anything you care to name."   
  
Percy droned on and on, blissfully unaware that in the not-   
so- distant future he would have lips the size of two fat sausages,   
thanks to a new formula of Fred and George's that needed a 'test   
run'.  
  
Bill and Ron sat, arguing animatedly at the chances of the   
Chudley Cannons reaching the final in the European Quidditch   
Tournament sponsored by Coca- Cola - 'The Wizard's drink!'   
while Hermione desperately attempted to referee.  
  
Ginny watched her family with a smile on her face. Her   
family were all she could ask for and more. They were interesting,   
caring and loyal. Every one of them was special to her, all in their   
own way.  
  
Suddenly she felt overwhelming sadness as she realised that   
Harry didn't have what she had. The only family he'd ever had   
was the Weasley's and now he insisted on distancing himself as   
much as possible. The only reason that Ginny wasn't blocked out   
of his life too is that she didn't allow herself to be pushed away.  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
She was startled out of her reverie by her mother's sharp   
tone of voice.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Quickly! Go get my 'Reversing Curses' book!"   
  
Ginny looked about the table to see, sure enough that   
Percy's lips had swelled to size of bananas.  
  
  
  
********************************************  
  
  
Harry couldn't face going back to his brand- new state-of-  
the-art flat. He often thought it was like the Mary Celeste- an   
empty vessel. It had no soul. It had no va va voom. Not like The   
Burrow.  
  
Oh, how he longed for a place like that to be his. Some   
people would call it cluttered or too small but Harry didn't care   
about that kind of thing. What he loved was the history.   
Everywhere you looked a memory materialised from nowhere.   
Always, the walls echoed with laughter and there was forever a   
delicious scent of freshly baked bread.  
  
The only memory that greeted him when he looked around   
at his ' contemporary but oh- so space odyssey' ( as the so- called   
expert, Phillipe proclaimed it) uber cool living area was the   
loneliness that grabs him every time he saw the empty and   
unwelcoming white wash walls and chrome chairs.  
  
He almost laughed as he was once again struck by the   
realisation that he was living in what appeared to be a show-   
home. He could picture it now: 'Why go for warm when you can   
go stark and boring?'  
  
So that was why he was wandering alone through the city at   
9 o' clock on a Friday night. He could have gone out with any one   
of the many girls waiting for him to call.   
  
Harry sighed.  
  
But he'd planned to spend tonight with her and he never let   
Ginny down.  
  
  
**************************************************  
(A/N: If you've got any ideas for what could happen next   
email me at pittsy@spankthedonkey.com. To the reviewer who   
wanted Ron to be less angry at Harry in general, I hope that this   
justifies Ron's reaction.) 


	3. Whispers From The Past

Disclaimer: Sorry, I forgot to do this the first time: I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did since I'd be a billionaire but unfortunately that privilege goes to JK Rowling and the big wigs at WB. Oh, and the song is The Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby'. (Don't worry if you don't like songfics- it's barely in it)  
  
(A/N: I'm really sorry about not uploading for ages but I had got a totally heinous bout of writers block. I've started the next part and I'll try to finish it as soon as possible.   
Dedicated to Leila and Rosa: WYLD STALLYNS RULES! )  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 3: Whispers From The Past  
  
  
The cursor blinked off and on, off and on, as though it were desperately signalling for help, but to no avail. The page remained empty.  
  
**Don't worry baby**  
  
Ginny let out a sigh. She had been 'working' on her story for the past four months now and she had yet to write a word. It was as if her mind had just shut down and gone to sleep. She knew, of course, that inspiration would come eventually but she needed to start it now.  
  
**Everything will turn out alright**  
  
Harry was right. She was too impatient. He was right about most things, Ginny reluctantly admitted to herself. He was right about writing a book not being as easy as she'd thought, let alone getting it published. He was right to warn her that she would have a multitude of bills and living expenses with no way to pay them. Ginny had just figured that she would manage until she'd written her novel, which she had thought would take her two months maximum. He was right to point out to her that by leaving her well- paid job at 'Gardner, Gardner and Shuttlecock, Ltd' and her cushy annual bonus would not be easy and would not please her parents.  
  
God, she was a fool, Ginny groaned inwardly in annoyance and frustration at herself. She was a naïve, stupid, fool. She should have listened to Harry. Not that he'd ever get to know. Ginny would rather scratch her own eyes out then witness the smug 'I'm cleverer than you so nah!' look that she knew so well, take hold of Harry's handsome features.  
  
"Concentrate..." Ginny mumbled, trying to focus. She leaned back and closed her eyes, attempting to envision her story playing out...  
  
**Don't worry baby...ooh, ooh**  
  
Ginny's eyes snapped open and darted to the radio. She knew where she'd heard that song before. She had tried her hardest to erase it, all them years ago, but the memory was a part of her, it would be with her, however she might fight it. The song invaded her treacherous thoughts and took her to a place she'd vowed to banish from her thoughts forever.  
  
**Well, it's been building up inside of me  
For, oh, I don't know how long...**   
  
  
***************************************************  
  
The Great Hall, Hogwarts  
10 Years ago...  
  
  
"Come on, Harry, dance!"  
  
"You're so miserable."  
  
"What is the matter with you?"  
  
"Couldn't you even try to come up with a good excuse?"  
  
"You're not even attempting to look vaguely apologetic now, are you?"  
  
Harry refused to dance. Everyone had tried to get him to sacrifice his reservation and boogie but he had told everyone the same thing- 'I never voluntarily make a fool out of myself'.  
  
Even to his own ears Harry sounded like a miserable spoilsport. But there was no escape from the fact that he couldn't dance if his life depended on it and he absolutely refused to give Malfoy that ammunition.  
  
Harry saw little point in staying longer, only to bat away prospective dance partners and watch Hermione and Ron argue. Anyway, he was exhausted from the gruelling Quidditch practice that had taken place at five that morning. The new Captain, Ron, had decided that the earlier the better, to the consternation and surprise of every single person who had ever met him.  
  
Harry said his goodnights and was on his way to the common room when he realised that, however early he had got up, he wasn't tired. He decided to take a stroll around the grounds before bed and slipped out past the heavy wooden door, undetected.  
  
****************************************  
  
All men are bastards. Ginny was convinced that there must be a genetic deficiency in the males of the species that tells them they must appear gentle, kind and considerate, but once trust is gained turn into a selfish, arrogant, two- timing pig.  
  
Maybe it was just the guys she picked. Guys like Flynn Monroe. Guys like Danny Curtis. Guys who thought a girl was just for Christmas, not for life. Guys who screwed around with her head until she didn't know where she was or how she'd got there.   
  
Well... no more. No more of this crap was she going to take lying down.  
  
Ginny ran through the dark forest as fast as her legs would carry her, her long crimson locks billowing in the wind. She felt as though she had finally been set free. Free from her life. Free from the one person she truly despised- the person she had become.  
  
She would cease the whimpering she had been so fond of and finally get a backbone.  
  
***************************************  
  
Harry was wandering along, minding his own business, admiring how the moonlight shimmed across the surface of the lake, hiding the depths below, when he was suddenly interrupted, most rudely, by something running into him in a head long collision.  
  
Before he knew it, he was on his backside in a most undignified position. He glanced up to identify his assaulter but had to do a double take to fully comprehend the sight he was seeing. Was it an angel? By the glare he was receiving, he thought not.  
  
From his position on the ground all he could see were two golden eyes, too beautiful and full of fire to be real, twinkling in the velvet night that seemed to envelope them. A red haze surrounded her in a halo of fire which only succeeded in convincing Harry that she must be a dream or a vision. Or that the bowl of punch he'd finished off had been spiked.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Harry shook himself again at the familiar voice that also seemed totally new to him. He knew the voice but the anger and barely concealed rage, that said she really wanted to hit something right now, told him that this couldn't possibly be the same person. Could it?  
  
"Are you going to get up or do you want me to drag you back to the castle, Potter?" Ginny leaned down and offered him her hand, all the while her voice softening at the sheer shock on Harry's frozen features.  
  
When he was standing again he felt relief flood through his veins. It was only Ginny. There was only one explanation for what he'd seen- he must have hit his head harder than he'd originally thought. This was the same old Ginny Weasley, but still there was something strangely different about her...  
  
"What are you staring at?" Her voice was still angry but now held confusion and frustration at Harry's silence.  
  
Harry went red. He hadn't meant to stare. Actually, he had meant to stare he just hadn't meant for her to notice. She usually found her shoelaces much more interesting. "Sorry. Nothing."  
  
She frowned at him for a moment then started off towards the castle.  
  
Unable to stop himself, Harry rushed after her and blurted out "Why are you so angry?" He always tried to keep himself to himself but he couldn't help being curious about what had enraged the usually calm and collected girl, now so furious she looked like her head was on fire.  
  
"I'm not." Her sharp answer convinced Harry more than ever that he wasn't just completely dense and something was indeed very wrong, wrong enough to provoke an almost complete personality transplant.  
  
"Ha! You could've fooled me. I have the bump to prove it!" He fell into step beside her as she began the walk up to the castle in what Harry would have called a stomp if it had been anyone else.  
  
"Hey! I'm curious. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Just fine." He lasted about five seconds before... "Okay! Okay! I can't take it. I have to know." Harry whirled to a stop and seized her arms so she couldn't escape and gave her the most heartfelt and serious look he could muster at one in the morning. "I'm sorry, Ginny but I'm only talking about letting me in on this one little secret. Now it's not exactly James Bond if-I-tell-you-I'm-gonna-have-to-kill-you stuff is it? Or is it? " He leaned in closer, conspiratorially, with a reprimanding expression. "Did you kill someone?"  
  
Ginny looked him in the eye for the first time as though he had just grown two heads. Which was probably more likely than Harry Potter ever actually saying anything to her. That is, anything other than 'pass the potatoes'. "No, but I'm starting to wish I had."  
  
She broke out of his grip and trudged away with a sigh, giving him the distinct impression that her melancholy ran deep and it would take a hellova lot more than his Most Charming SmileTM to make her disclose the cause of it.  
  
"Hey, Ginny, I-"  
  
"Shut it." She snapped as he caught her up.  
  
"I just-"  
  
"Shut it or I will shut it for you." Ginny spoke through clenched teeth and he was in no doubt that she could and would cause him serious injury if he continued his line of questioning.  
  
"I was just going to ask why you weren't at the Ball." He stepped out of harms way before she could take a swing at him, enabling him to finish his sentence. "That's all, I swear."  
  
Her expression softened a little and she gave him a sheepish grin. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't go because... because...Well, I was going to go but I- I..." She searched for the right words. "...I got distracted!"  
  
"I'm surprised a girl would let herself get distracted when Hogwarts throws an all-out gig like this one. This is a once-in-a -school-year opportunity."  
  
"Yeah, well... I did. I don't care about the stupid Ball. All it is is a bunch of stupid people I don't even like, dancing to stupid music and making a fool out of themselves." Ginny began gesticulating wildly and spoke rapidly, but he could tell by the tears in her youthful voice said that she did care. She cared a lot.  
  
The sweet harmony of a song swept through the chilly night and made Harry smile to himself. It was the perfect moment. This had to cheer her up- there wasn't a single person alive who could see Harry dance and keep a straight face.  
  
"I know what you mean about the whole 'making a fool out of yourself' thing. I invented the term. But you know what? Everyone should have one dance, stupid or not. What about it?"   
  
Ginny looked bewildered. "What? Here? Now? With you?"  
  
**Well it's been building up inside of me  
for oh I don't know how long,**  
  
Harry laughed at the horror adorning her face and took her hand. "Don't look so repulsed! It'll be okay." Still, she looked disconcerted. "Hey! This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! How can you resist seeing me make a complete idiot out of myself?" He grinned reassuringly at her until she finally gave in, if somewhat reluctantly.  
  
**I don't know why but I keep thinking   
something's bound to go wrong.**  
  
He pulled her into his arms and began to sway in time to the music. At first he had to concentrate on the rhythm and not treading on her toes, but after a while he found that it had become much easier with her there to guide him. He glanced down to give her a grateful smile of thanks and found her staring at him with those liquid mercury eyes that held a strange look of uncertainty in their depths. He gave her an encouraging smile.   
  
**But she looks in my eyes  
And makes me realise**  
  
He leant down to let her know what an excellent dancer she was when, before he knew it, she had pressed her lips against his. He froze, dumbfounded. This was Ginny! Ginny was kissing him! He was kissing his best friend's little sister! But when he felt her lips move beneath his he lost all logic, gathered her closer and tried to burn into his mind her taste of strawberries, peaches and all good things that drove him wild with craving.  
  
  
**When she says 'don't worry baby'*  
  
Suddenly, she was gone, taking all her sweetness with her, leaving him to wonder how come he wasn't kissing her anymore and why he felt such a profound sense of loss.   
  
"Look... This never should have happened...I'm sorry I took advantage of you..."  
  
Harry looked down at her averted face, cheeks flushed and lips swollen from his kissing her and attempted to figure out what the hell was going on. He found this immensely difficult since he was still completely bewildered by her. This was Ginny Weasley? How could it be? How could she kiss like that? It didn't make any sense.  
  
Her take advantage of him?  
  
**Don't worry baby**  
  
How could this girl, who he had just discovered had such a hold over him, be Ginny Weasley? Ginny was small and nervous and stuttered a lot. She tended to go for all the wrong boys, who treated her like a doormat, while she passively took it. This young woman was strong, passionate and didn't stutter once. In fact, he'd bet with one look she could make a man stammer and fall to his knees, and he couldn't imagine anyone using her as a doormat and living to tell the tale.  
  
Thinking about it now, he decided she was very capable of taking advantage of him. In fact, he'd welcome it.   
  
"I hope we can still be friends?" This time she looked him in the eye to show him she wasn't ashamed and that she meant it.  
  
**Don't worry baby**  
  
Ah, he thought, the immortal last words of any relationship. Except this wasn't a relationship. Despite his attempts to make light of the situation her words had washed over him like a tidal wave and frozen his heart and his smile in place.  
  
**Everything will turn out alright**  
  
She turned to leave him and smiled over her shoulder. "Just don't tell Ron!"  
  
He smile weakly as the girl who he knew would visit him in his dreams left him alone to his new found melancholy, taking his heart with her.  
  
**Don't worry baby, ooh,ooh**  
  
******************************************************  
  
(A/N: Please review! And just out of interest could you let me know which country you're hailing from- thanks.) 


	4. For Love Of The Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did since I'd be a billionaire but unfortunately that privilege goes to JK Rowling and the big wigs at WB.   
  
(A/N: I'm sorry I haven't uploaded for a few weeks but I've had to redraft it a few times. Also, I have no motivation! You need to review! If you read it please review and let me know what you think cos otherwise I don't know if it's complete crap I'm writing. A great big THANK YOU!!! To all those that did review. I really appreciate it.  
This is dedicated to my best mates Rosa and Leila: WYLD STALLYNS RULES!)  
CHAPTER 4: For Love Of The Game  
  
"Hey, guys. I got no inspiration for you. Just get it over with," The coach waved his hand in nonchalance, revealing the hip flask he was carrying that would no doubt be holding something a tad stronger than butterbeer, and staggered off into the stands, shouting "And don't get killed- it'll cost us."   
  
Well, that was motivating, Ron thought to himself. He had just been psyching himself up, telling himself it would be fine. They would be fine. All he had to do was score as much as possible. It would be different this time. They would win.  
  
Coach Jackson had just totally obliterated that ideology. He wouldn't be fine. He wouldn't score. It wouldn't be any different this time. They would lose. Again.  
  
Ron strapped on his knee pads and sighed. Just like normal. He always lost. It was just the way life went for him. He lost in love, life and, no doubt, he'd get a raw deal in the after life too. He had no money, no girlfriend, no respect, and not many friends anymore. All he had was Quidditch and as of the last few years, he was losing in that too.  
  
The team was going down without a fight and there was no way to stop it. Chudley Cannons was the worst team in the world (not technically, Wimbledon Wombles were at the bottom of the table but no one talked about them). Ron had had many chances to sign to another team but he was adamant- he was loyal and would NEVER abandon his team. He had been sure that even if they were going down he would make sure they went down in a blaze of glory. He was a damn fool. Everyone had given up their hopes and dreams and before he knew it Ron's very own Chudley Cannons were dying, a slow and agonising death, without so much as a whimper.   
  
But none of it is my fault, Ron thought to himself in consolation, I did nothing wrong!  
  
He had always gone full pelt, high speed at anything he put his mind to, which some would say (namely Hermione) was his downfall. Ron had always viewed it as a strength but only recently had he realised the truth.   
  
He hadn't thought through properly the so-called once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a career in Quidditch- it was his dream, that was all that mattered.  
  
He had become a symbol of ridicule and, more prominently, been forgotten. He was nobody. He hadn't thought of that. Percy had offered him a job at his company where he could've worked his way up and become someone of importance by now- but no, he was a poor, miserable nobody.  
  
He would never have guessed Quidditch of all things would make him this unhappy.  
  
Ron leaned back against his locker, trying to find a moment of peace before he had to go out there into the storm of disgruntled anti- fans.  
  
...But he couldn't stop the cogs in his brain from turning. All he could think was 'At least I've got my family and my health'.  
  
Ron's stomach did a Wronski Feint when he thought about his family. He knew that that might not be so anymore. The Infamous Weasleys were disbanding. Bill was still in Egypt at Gringotts, and Charlie had progressed on to Bulgaria with his dragons. Percy, now spent most of his time at work in London or with his wife Penelope and only on special occasions (i.e. He got a promotion and wanted to brag) would he return home. The twins had set up their own chain of joke shops, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, that had become the most renowned and praised, not to mention feared, franchise on the face of the planet. This meant that they were always travelling here and there, testing formulas, experimenting with strange new ingredients, and every once in a while promoting a new 'product', as they called their nightmare inducing pranks.  
  
In fact, the only two Weasley siblings currently in the same location ( with the exception of Fred and George) were Ron and Ginny.  
  
Well, at least I've got my health.  
  
It made Ron's heart ache when he thought of his baby sister. They'd always shared a special connection, being the two youngest and now that she wasn't speaking to him he felt terrible. He had, in passing, made a comment about her relationship with Harry which she hadn't taken too kindly to so she shouted at him for a bit, cursed him for a while, then declared she'd had enough and walked out.  
  
She didn't understand. She had never understood. Perhaps it was better that way. He was trying to protect her and she would say she didn't need protecting, but he knew better. She was his sister- it was his job to discourage male suitors.  
  
Ron knew he had gone too far by calling Harry a 'sycophantic male trollop'. Perhaps he should have used an insult that he understood.  
  
The trouble was that he couldn't see the line he wasn't supposed to cross because he knew Harry. It clouded his judgement.  
  
What was he supposed to do? Sit there and watch him trample all over her heart? No, he couldn't, wouldn't let it happen. He knew what trouble Harry was and that, good guy or not, he was bound to leave her broken and miserable.  
  
The only problem was that he didn't want t insult and ignore Harry. However he might act Ron still loved Harry like a brother. They'd been through Hell and back together, nothing would change that. Harry might not know it, but if he was ever in trouble, Ron would be there- he would always be there for him, no matter what.  
  
But, a man has to do what a man has to do.  
  
So Ron insulted and sneered at Harry any chance he got. He knew that this must have hurt his former best friend but it was for his own good. He also knew that his 'hatred' of Harry was part of the reason why he didn't have many friends anymore, but no one, not even Hermione, realised the truth.  
  
This wasn't a display of how much he detested Harry. No, it just showed how much he loved his sister.  
  
*******************************************  
  
It was going alright, she supposed. He hadn't burped, farted or made any lewd remarks. He hadn't mentioned any obsession with his mother, a growing fetish for Star Trek memorabilia or a love of ritual animal slaughters of any kind. God, she'd had her share of boyfriends who had. Usually, her taste in men was abysmal.   
  
However, it seemed as though she'd struck gold.  
  
Brian Murphy was good- looking. He had short, close- cropped , rusty blond hair, an Adonis tan and, as far as she could tell, a body to die for underneath that smart set of dark blue robes.  
  
Brian Murphy was smart. He had been at the top of his class in everything (except needlework, but he claimed that didn't really count) and he was close to becoming partner at the law firm he currently worked at, 'Gear, Sear and Hard- Shoes'.  
  
Brian Murphy obviously had common sense. He had been the one to suggest eating at Civetta because it was closer to her flat and easier for her to walk to, with her newly acquired sprained ankle, courtesy of a broken heel. Either that or he thought he was in with a chance getting some tonight.  
  
Brian Murphy was funny. He could charm the knickers off of a nun, as Harry would say. With nothing but a smile and suggestive joke he had secured them the best seats in the house, to Ginny's astonishment.  
  
Brian Murphy was, most important of all, nice. He had humoured her failed attempts at joking, opened doors for her, and helped an old lady cross the road, like a regular boy scout.  
  
However, Ginny couldn't help but nit- pick. Brian Murphy was just too perfect. She couldn't help but list the ways he annoyed her, as she watched him chat animatedly.  
  
He was handsome, but she thought she could detect dark roots and she never had liked a man who was ashamed of what he was and had to resort to changing himself. His eyes, she couldn't help feel, were too cold. When those icy cobalts looked directly at her it made her shiver with fear. He was a predator and she was his prey...  
  
He was smart. But being smart was a totally different thing, in Ginny's opinion, to being intelligent. He was agile, brisk, shrewd and downright saucy sometimes. To be truly intelligent was more than that, as Hermione proved on a daily basis. To be intelligent is to 'have an inborn quickness of understanding and adaptability to relatively new situations', according to the Oxford English Dictionary, and Ginny took their word for it.  
  
He was funny, but he tended to laugh at people rather than with them. Yes, she knew that most men were this way, but she couldn't help thinking of Harry and Ron, who she always inevitably compared her date to.  
  
Harry wasn't as traditionally handsome as Brian, due to his uncontrollable dark hair and large unusually green eyes but there wasn't any doubt who was the most pleasant looking. Harry just had an aura about him that comforted people and made them trust him, as well as a crooked grin that exuded warmth and cheered up anyone that was lucky enough to encounter it.  
  
Ron wasn't as smart or as sharp as Brian, perhaps because he tended to bury his head in the sand when difficult situations arose, instead of facing them head on, like he should.  
  
Ron liked to pretend he was completely dense by misplacing his wand frequently, getting the most basic charms wrong and claiming he couldn't understand the majority of what came out of Hermione's mouth.  
  
Ginny knew better. She knew for a fact that he wasn't the ditz he acted like. After what had happened with Voldemort in his seventh year where every of- age witch and wizard was called forward to be a hero and fight, Ron had decided that he preferred being the loveable sidekick, over being a powerful wizard in his own right.  
  
Obviously, both Harry and Ron could beat Brian any day of the week in humour and kindness. The Weasley household had been something of a Mecca for all those who had ever enjoyed a good laugh, and since Harry had, more or less, grown up with them it had rubbed off on him.  
  
"...So what do you think?"  
  
Ginny was startled from her reverie and looked up guiltily. "Er...sorry?"  
  
Brian smiled at her condescendingly as if talking to the village idiot. "I asked what you thought, but you were obviously somewhere else..."  
  
She reddened instantly. "I-"  
  
"Oh, no need to apologise!" He waved a patronising hand at her, making her eyes narrow into a glare.   
  
I wasn't going to, you arrogant prick!   
  
She silently fumed as he continued. "I know I can be frightfully dull when I go on about my job. Don't worry, I'll shut up now." There was a silence as he watched her expectantly. "You know, I'm getting sick of the sound of my own voice, so why don't you tell me more about you?" Brian smirked encouragingly but she couldn't stop herself from thinking that it was just pointless. He was so out of her league! And he knew it too. That was why he got to act grown up and she was left with the role of the immature child.  
  
Oh, well, Ginny thought. I'll just have to go and prove him wrong, won't I?  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
Time to flick the flirt switch. She flashed him her Most Dazzling SmileTM and replied in a low and intimate tone. "Maybe you'll find out later..."  
  
For forty-five minutes Ginny talked passionately about her life, spicing up the boring bits (which, truthfully, made everything she told him fictitious), flirted outrageously and made sure to ooze wit, charm and elegance.  
  
As she threw back her head in laughter at one of his 'jokes', she was sure she'd seen his eyes linger on the way her hair shone a hundred different shades in the candle light.  
  
Just as planned. She could tell that before long he'd be kicking himself for ever doubting she was anything but a ravishing beauty with a positively sparkling personality.  
  
God, I love messing with the opposite sex. She stifled an evil giggle.  
  
By dessert she knew she had him bewitched. He was watching her closely with a strange look on his face, as she took her time devouring the deluxe chocolate cake that lay before her. She made sure to lick the fork clean slowly, just to drive him wilder, and make it just that little bit more disappointing when she told him where to shove it. Jesus, how she adored the game. The chase. Especially if she didn't really like him. After all everyone needs a challenge once in a while.  
  
After paying the bill ( he rather hurriedly insisted, ignoring Ginny's protests) they stepped out into the dark, where the sweet zephyr made the trees gently waltz in time to the rhythm of the night.  
  
It was perfect. Ginny blushed (on cue- she found it to be a rather affective tool), looked away coyly and waited for it to happen. Something did happen but it was not what she expected.  
  
Brian Murphy edged away from her nervously, with a 'Had a great night, Ginny! I trust you can find your own way home? I'll call you!" and disapparated.  
  
Ginny stood, rooted to the spot, blinking. What had just happened? He had rejected her? It was supposed to be the other way around! She had been convinced she'd had him. Obviously, her radar wasn't as fine-tuned as she'd thought.  
  
In fact, now that she thought about it, she could see how what she'd gleefully mistaken for passion had actually been fear. Those looks of want had really been a desire to leave as soon as possible, and his watching her eat hadn't been evidence of his longing but his silently urging her to finish quickly.  
  
Well, he's not the first, and certainly won't be the last bloke I scare off. With that resigned introspection Ginny did what she did after every bad date ( and every good one come to think of it). She stuck out her wand.  
  
After what must've only been five seconds, a blazing purple slash of colour streaked into her line of vision with a BOOM!  
  
The doors glided open with a swish to reveal a pair of dancing green eyes and a Cheshire cat grin.  
  
"So...Didn't manage to ensnare the poor bloke with your womanly hooks, eh?"   
  
********************************************** 


	5. The Midnight Hour

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. JK Rowling does.  
  
CHAPTER 5: The Midnight Hour  
  
"So..." Harry grinned down at the unsmiling redhead sporting the irritated look that was so familiar to him. "Didn't manage to ensnare the poor bloke with your womanly hooks, eh?"  
  
Ginny huffed as she boarded the bus and plopped down into the squishy red armchair next to Harry's, all the while sending him a lethal death stare worthy of Hermione. "No! No one was ensnared with any kind of hooks, womanly or not!"  
  
Harry smiled. "Aha! Looks like I touched a nerve."   
  
She sighed as they sped off into the night with a flash and leaned forward with an apologetic wisp of a smile. "Sorry for snapping. I just..." She began to wring her hands nervously. "It didn't work! How could it not have worked?! I tried every trick n the book, but still... How could he resist? Oh my God! I sound so big headed!" Ginny rounded her shoulders, incensed. "You know, he wasn't really that good looking! Then why did I fail? I shouldn't have failed! I must be losing my touch- I could have got him just a few years ago. Oh my God...I'm an old maid at 25!"  
  
Ginny looked at Harry, horrified at what she'd just concluded, but he had always found her random streams of consciousness rather amusing and had to fight hard not to laugh. He lost.  
  
"Why do you find my losing my touch so funny?" Now she looked angry.  
  
Thank God.  
  
He'd found from past experience that in situations like these where she was perturbed by someone or something it could go one of two ways. She'd get tearful or angry. Anger he could cope with but tears...he just wasn't cut out for handling female hormones. He always said and did the wrong things which would inevitably cause her to cry harder and for longer.   
  
It had taken him a good portion of the 8 years that they had really been friends to realise that slapping her on the back and handing her a Heineken as a response to her sobbing did not work at all. Finally, he had discovered the recipe for a tear- free Ginny, through trial and error.  
  
'Take one Ginny and add a big box of tissues, a soppy muggle movie (preferably 'It's A Wonderful Life' when in season) and an enormous box of chocolates. Leave for several hours and hey presto, one relatively normal Ginny Weasley.'  
  
Sometimes that wouldn't even cheer her up so he was forced to move onto Plan C- hand puppets. And that was never a pretty sight.  
  
He was an expert in the anger department. Not literally, of course-he'd been thrown out of classes for suggesting that anger didn't need controlling , and attempting to provoke the skinny instructor into a thumb war. Harry lost not only his pride but part of his thumbnail, when the scrawny 62 year old turned as vicious as a shark who forgot to take it's happy pill.   
  
Harry could deal with Ginny's anger. He liked to provoke her, in fact. He knew it was cruel but he got a big kick from winding her up and watching her explode which soon outweighed the guilt. He found it quite funny. That is until she punched him in the arm. Hard.  
  
"Oi! I need to rant and you're off in La-La Land with the pixies. Now listen...I need to unload my heavy burden..."  
  
After he was pulled away from his musings, rather violently, he might add, Ginny told him what had happened. He didn't find any of it at all shocking (except, of course, for the terrible and unjust snubbing of her infamous seduction technique- what friend wouldn't be outraged?) but ooh-ed and ah-ed in all the right places and issued the cursory insults and hexes towards the poor bloke in question.  
  
"Ah, I can just imagine you; the young Audrey Hepburn at work!" Harry grinned at the thought of his friend imitating one of the most famous witch actresses of the 20th century.   
  
"I was actually going for Marilyn Monroe."  
  
"There's your problem then."   
  
"What? Are you saying that I can't pull off a Marilyn? Let me tell you, I could do a Marilyn if I wanted to!"  
  
"All I was saying was that you're not as naturally... you have a whole different- thing- going on for you than Marilyn did." Harry began to get worried. He'd done it again, set her off. Only he didn't mean to this time and she could get very rambunctious when talking about the All- Time Greats.  
  
"What did she have 'going for her' that I don't have?" She now had that 'watch what you say because you could very easily get punched' look on her face, and her eyes pierced him, dared him.   
  
"Well, I've only seen one of her films but, damn, she was sexy-" He said hesitantly.   
  
"You're saying that I'm not sexy?! I can be sexy if I want to be!"   
  
"What I meant is that you're more of a...a...Julie Andrews than a Marilyn! Shit!" Harry clamped a hand over his mouth, disbelieving that he had just said what he had though he'd said. Could he get any thicker?  
  
"Now you're comparing me to bloody Mary Poppins!!" She looked ready to explode at the mere suggestion. He knew that the reason for her outrage was that for her whole life she'd been little placid Ginny who could never be considered to be attractive as she was too meek and mild. She was now determined to be more. Her anger was a defence mechanism but still she scared the Hell out of him.  
  
"I always thought she was kinda hot," He murmured to himself.  
  
"Yeah, says the bloke who thought The Little Mermaid had- and I quote- 'nice seashells'! I can't believe you don't think that I could be sexy enough to seduce a man. Let me tell you, if I turned the whammy on you right now you'd be begging for it!" She informed him, calming down just a little but not enough for Harry to consider himself out of danger.  
  
"I'm sure I would."  
  
"Is that sarcasm, Mr Potter?" No it hadn't been but 'Hey!' Harry thought 'Presumptions are fun!' She saw him squirm and must have decided to ease up on him. "Dug yourself into a nice big hole there, eh?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You're right." Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Ginny sat back in resignation. "I never could seduce a bloke. All I ended up doing tonight was making a fool out of myself. Ooh- I must've looked ridiculous tossing my hair and giggling all the time. You know, if I could be bothered, I'd blush at the thought of it."  
  
  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
8 years ago,  
  
The Burrow  
  
"Three cheers! Hiphip!"  
  
"Hurray!"  
  
"Hiphip!"  
  
"Hurray!"  
  
"Hiphip!"  
  
"Hurray!"  
  
Harry turned tomato red with embarrassment. It was his 20th birthday and the Weasleys seemed to want to make this his best birthday yet but really all he could think was that if they stopped trying so hard it would be so much more enjoyable. All he had wanted was a nice rowdy family dinner but they had shocked (and horrified) him with a 'nice' rowdy party.  
  
'Oh God,' he thought. 'This is awful- why is Parvati Patil here?!'  
  
It seemed as though the Weasleys had asked every single person he had ever met to come to his party and come they did, bearing gifts and fake smiles. Most were just there for the gossip. He had a new girlfriend and he just knew that Parvati was desperate to know all the juicy details.  
  
Harry suddenly noticed that the entire room was grinning at him. What had he done? Was he meant to do something? Had he done something wrong?  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Ron stepped forward and slapped him on the back in a brotherly fashion. "Go on, Harry, give us a speech!"  
  
Oh. Shit.  
  
"Erm...well, thanks- for coming, I mean...it's been fun... thanks... means a lot..." Harry shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortably and decided that another attempt was due since it had been a whole 30 minutes since he'd last tried it. "...A bit thirsty... gotta go...thanks, again..." He shuffled out of the kitchen quickly, knowing how stupid he looked claiming that he was off in search of a drink when he had been surrounded by tables full of Butterbeer and fruit punch.  
  
When he stepped out into the refreshing night's breeze he let out a sigh of relief. He had escaped! He loved the Weasleys but all those people who had trooped across Britain just to get a look at Harry Potter annoyed the Hell out of him.  
  
Harry swayed aimlessly on the garden swing by himself for quite a while, just thinking random philosophical thoughts until he was interrupted by a rustling sound which he immediately dismissed as just an over- enthusiastic gnome.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
This time Harry sat bolt upright and all his senses sharpened, waiting for another noise. That was definitely not a gnome sound. He had distinctly heard a swear word that he was sure even the Irish Quidditch team would blush at and he was positive that a gnome wouldn't even know of such things. Anyway, hadn't it come from above him...?  
  
Suddenly, a dishevelled redhead landed, not very gracefully, in front of him, in a heap. Harry's eyebrows shot North in surprise and he glanced quickly at the far off branch that she had just jumped from. As she stood up gingerly he looked at her, impressed that she could fall that distance and not have broken every bone in her body.  
  
"What are you doing out here? It's your party." She brushed herself off, and eyed him with suspicion.  
  
"Ah...Well, I'd actually say it's more their party." He nodded towards the house that was now teeming with people and throbbing with the sounds of Abba. "And, why are you playing Tarzan instead of cavorting and cajoling in there with the rest of them?"  
  
Ginny smiled at him. "No offence, or anything, but I got bored."  
  
"You have a short attention span, too?"  
  
"Only when I'm cornered by Justin Finch- Fletchley and he's telling me how you two are such good pals." She looked thoughtful for a second, then grinned. "I think he has a crush on you, you know."  
  
Harry smiled back. It'd been a while since he'd had a conversation with Ginny. In fact, with a 'hello, how are you?' here and there being the exception, the last proper tête-à-tête he'd had with her had been the night of the Yule Ball at Hogwarts when they'd...  
  
He didn't like to think about it.  
  
It had happened a long time ago but he had thought at the time that she had broken his heart in only an hour and didn't even know it. But he had matured since then. Now, it was commonplace for him to decide that he was 'in love' with a girl and then for her to slap him down within the hour. However, he had never felt as much pain and bereavement as when she had run off and left him alone in the dark with his rejection.  
  
Harry glanced up at her flushed face and realised that she had been stood there chattering and gesticulating wildly while he was in his reverie and he hadn't heard a word.  
  
"Hey!"   
  
She broke off mid- sentence and widened her eyes, questioningly.   
  
"Slow down, will you? You talk too fast."  
  
She plopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs. "I'll stop talking so quickly but it's not because I'm a fast talker; you're just too slow."  
  
They sat like that for what seemed like hours and chatted and gossiped and squabbled until they were hoarse. It had been one of the most enjoyable conversations he'd had for a long while. Ron just complained about the Chudley Cannons all the time, Hermione wasn't around much because of her new job, and the only other person he had to talk to was his girlfriend. When he ever had a discussion with Cho she either just talked about girly stuff or went really intellectual on him and blathered on about really inane facts that no normal person would ever find an interesting topic of conversation.  
  
"I can't believe that we've been out here for so long!" Ginny yawned and stretched out her tired body with a smile.  
  
"Jesus! Have you seen the time? It's morning!" Harry exclaimed with a glance at his watch.  
  
"Well, everyone went home hours ago- what did you expect?"  
  
"It's five past six."  
  
Ginny bolted upright in shocked anxiety. "I have to be at work in an hour!"   
  
"Whoops," Harry deadpanned.  
  
Ginny's worried frown gradually dissolved into a grin as she looked at Harry's serious face. "I guess I'll have to say I'm sick. Do I look ill?" She dramatically raised a weakly hand to her forehead.  
  
"Yeah, you look positively deathly, but that's nothin' a good ol' English breakfast can't fix!" He jumped up and pulled her to her feet after him.   
  
"We can't wake mum up, she likes to stay in bed until 7 on a Sunday. It's her restful day." Ginny pulled him through the garden and around the Burrow until they reached their parked broomsticks. "Know any good places for breakie? I'm in the mood for pancakes."  
  
And that was the start of a very nearly beautiful friendship. 'After all,' Harry had thought. 'What better way was there to understand where he going wrong with women than to infiltrate the enemy camp?'   
  
****************************************************************************  
  
A/N: I'm really sorry that I haven't put any up for absolutely ages but it takes me ages to write it cos I can't help but re-do and re-do each chapter. 


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